2020 Mini Vacation to KY & TN

If you are planning on visiting Tennessee or Kentucky anytime soon then I have a couple of suggestions for you to add onto your “Places to visit” list.

My best friend lives in Tennessee, she isn’t too far from Nashville. I loved visiting downtown Nashville during my last visit because we got to see all these cool country shops, we visited Coyote Ugly and my friend actually got me onto the bar to dance (yikes! Be glad you didn’t witness that!) and we ate at Jason Aldean’s restaurant which was DELICIOUS!

However, this visit we were unable to visit downtown Nashville again because we had other things planned and so little time. I was slightly bummed because I really wanted to try out Blake Shelton’s restaurant, but I’ll eat there on my next vacation!

This vacation began with a two-hour flight from Florida to Tennessee. I’ve only flown by myself three times now and I have to say it’s not as bad as everyone makes it seem. I actually enjoy it, especially if I purchase the window seat! I just find it neat to fly through the clouds :)

After my best friend picked me up from Nashville airport, which by the way is HUGE! I got lost, no joke. We headed off on our first adventure....

Picking sunflowers. I had no idea that sunflowers came in more colors than yellow, seriously. They were soooo pretty! They cost $1 a stem and it didn’t matter how many flowers were on a stem which was cool. They also had some other flowers (I forget the name) that we could pick for free so we obviously took advantage of that.

It’s a really cute area that has a rustic barn that is often used for weddings and other special events. Also, they have AMAZING lemonade and Pinacolda popsicles. Try them! This was at Liberty Grace Farms in Columbia, TN.

After that adventure, we headed home to pick up the rest of the family and then headed out on a road trip to Kentucky! We stayed the night at a hotel and had breakfast at Cracker Barrel the next day. Their Banana Caramel Pancakes were so good!

We got lost a few times which was hilarious because our hotel was only seven-ish minutes away from the amusement park. We got to see some of Louisville. I wish I would have been able to take more pictures there because they had some really neat buildings and churches.

Afterward, we headed to Kentucky Kingdom. I had never heard of this place before but I found it to be a lot of fun! They have rollercoasters, regular rides, an area where you can play games, and there is also Hurricane Bay which is where we spent most of our time because it was just SO hot out. The food was pretty good too and reasonably priced.

Hurricane Bay was awesome. They have cabanas that you can rent and it’s a water area. There is a small section for kids, they have a lazy river (yay!), and water slides, but my favorite part was the wave pool. You could swim in there but every fifteen-twenty minutes a bell would go off to signal that the waves would start soon. These waves were intense! Everyone was laughing while trying to not get knocked over by these waves. I had one knock me off my feet and when I stood up I was hit with a second, and then a third and I somehow ended up in the shallows because of how big the waves were.

There were also moments when someone would come onto the loudspeaker and announce that the “Big Kahuna” waves were about to begin. It was funny because everyone in Hurricane Bay would start cheering and anxiously wait for the waves. There were three children and three adults in my group and the adults had to hold onto the children (ages 14 and twelve) because the waves were so big! I had so much fun in the wave pool and highly recommend it but only if you are a strong swimmer. During the hours we were there the lifeguards had to jump in and save 6 people.

After that crazy awesomeness, we headed home for a relaxing night. My best friend and I watched 365 Days on Netflix and man were we disappointed in that movie! This gangster kidnaps a woman who he’s had dreams of for years after seeing her face when he was on the brink of death. After kidnapping her he gives her 365 days to fall in love with him. The man wasn’t all that attractive, the woman had almost no personality until at least halfway through the movie, the sex scenes were like watching porn but had no kink which was surprising since it was supposed to be better than 50 Shades of Grey. The ending was horrible but I’ve been told they are making a second. The man did nothing FOR the woman except for shopping sprees and sex but she fell madly in love with him... What??? It was two hours of my life I will never get back. My best friend and I sat there eating popcorn and criticizing the whole thing. My vote had been to watch Magic Mike 2 and I really wish she would have listened. That gas station scene is hilarious and the ending of Magic Mike 2 is so sexy. Oh well, I’ll just have to watch it by myself.

The following day, we had a yummy breakfast cooked by my best friend and then we headed out to some Tennessee waterfalls. Again, it was crazy hot out so we didn’t do too much hiking, but the waterfalls were so pretty and the water felt really good and cool.

On my next visit, I’m taking my daughter to visit them because they are so beautiful. We visited two different places, both were fairly easy to get too. She listed other waterfalls but our time was running short since I had to catch a plane the following day at four in the morning.

They are on my list of places to visit next time. The waterfalls can get crowded so it’s best if you show up really early in the morning. There were people swimming and some just hanging out on the rocks, while others, like my friend and I, were mostly there to take pictures and cool off while walking in the water.

Below is a statue of Lady of The Falls in Rutledge, TN. These falls are on Private Property, but the owners allow the public to visit from dawn until dusk. I asked about the mysterious statue when I got there, but my friend wasn't sure on its background and I have yet to research her history. She was a neat addition to my visit though. We also visited Old Stone Fort in Coffee County, TN. Old Stone Fort has trails, a small museum and a platform you can stand on which was once used by Native Americans as a ceremonial gathering place. I didn't get to venture too far at Old Stone Fort so I would have to say that out of both places Rutledge was my favorite.

After visiting the waterfalls we picked up the kids and went to go get some snow cones from Beach Company Chill. They were in Port Royal Park in Spring Hill, TN but they are a Food Truck and travel so check out their website, Facebook and Instagram for their schedules. We ordered smalls and they were HUGE! Mine was called MuleTown Shaved Ice and had butter beer, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate & caramel sauce. I was in Heaven.

The others are Shark Attack, Strawberry Shortcake, Go Big Orange, and Sunset Beach.

That night my friend FINALLY listened and let me choose something to watch so I picked Lucifer because you can never watch that show too many times and she had never seen it before. She is hooked. I’m home now and she has been texting me the past three days about episodes, plot twist and cliffhangers, lol. Don’t let the title fool you, it’s not a bad show. Lucifer pretty much helps solve crimes, murders, things like that in L.A.. There is a LOT more to the show and its story line but I don’t want to give it away. I would definitely suggest looking into it though. Sexy main character with a British accent, crime solving, Angels, Good vs. Evil, it really is a great show.

Anyways, my early morning flight was delayed by nearly an hour and while we were waiting to depart maintenance had to come on board. That was slightly unnerving. Everything went well though, I’m still alive :)

I would highly suggest visiting Kentucky Kingdom (especially Hurricane Bay) and taking a hike to visit waterfalls in Tennessee. You should also check out The Beach Company Chill! You won't regret adding either to your "To do" list.Thank you for reading about my mini vacation. Let me know in the comments if there is anywhere in either state that you enjoyed visiting so that I can check them out on my next visit and others on here can get a few ideas too! Have a great day!